The Global Information Technology Report 2010–2011
is a special project within the framework of World
Economic Forum’s Centre for Global Competitiveness
and Performance and the Industry Partnership
Programme for Information Technology and
Telecommunications Industries. It is the result of
a collaboration between the World Economic Forum
and INSEAD.

The terms country and nation as used in this
report do not in all cases refer to a territorial
entity that is a state as understood by international law and practice. The terms cover
well-defined, geographically self-contained
economic areas that may not be states but
for which statistical data are maintained on a
separate and independent basis.

2.1 Costa Rica s Efforts Toward an InnovationDriven Economy: The Role of the ICT Sector ...................119
Vilma Villalobos (Microsoft) and Ricardo
Monge-González (Presidential Council on
Competitiveness and Innovation of Costa Rica)

iii
2.3 A National Plan for Broadband in the
United States............................................................................137
Jonathan B. Baker and Paul de Sa
(Federal Communications Commission)

The last decade has seen information and communication technologies (ICT) dramatically transforming the
world, enabling innovation and productivity increases,
connecting people and communities, and improving
standards of living and opportunities across the globe.
While changing the way individuals live, interact, and
work, ICT has also proven to be a key precondition for
enhanced competitiveness and economic and societal
modernization, as well as an important instrument for
bridging economic and social divides and reducing
poverty.
As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the
Global Information Technology Report (GITR) series and
the extraordinary achievements ICT has already made
possible over the past 10 years, we also want to take the
opportunity to look forward and imagine the next
transformations enabled by ICT—transformations 2.0.
The pace of technological advance is accelerating and
ICT is increasingly becoming a ubiquitous and intrinsic
part of people’s behaviors and social networks as well as
of business practices and government activities and service provision. We expect transformations 2.0 to continue
to move human progress forward by further leveraging
ICT’s positive social, political, and economic impact on
governments, enterprise, and civil society alike.
The GITR series has been published by the World
Economic Forum in partnership with INSEAD since
2001, accompanying and monitoring ICT advances
over the last decade as well as raising awareness of the
importance of ICT diffusion and usage for long-term
competitiveness and societal well-being. Through the lens
of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), the driving
factors of networked readiness and ICT leveraging
have been identified, highlighting the joint responsibility
of all social actors, namely individuals, businesses, and
governments, in this respect. The series has become
over time one of the most respected studies of its kind.
It has been extensively used by policymakers and relevant stakeholders as a unique tool to identify strengths on
which to build and weaknesses that need to be addressed
in national strategies for enhanced networked readiness.
The Global Information Technology Report 2010–2011
features the latest results of the NRI, offering an overview
of the current state of ICT readiness in the world. This
year’s coverage includes a record number of 138
economies from both the developing and developed
world, accounting for over 98 percent of global GDP. A

number of essays and case studies on transformations 2.0
and best practices in networked readiness are featured in
the Report, together with a comprehensive data section—
including detailed profiles for each economy covered
and data tables with global rankings for the NRI’s 71
indicators.
We would like to convey our sincere gratitude
to the industry experts who contributed outstanding
chapters to this Report, exploring the next ICT-enabled
transformations and highlighting best policies and
practices in ICT diffusion and usage. We especially
wish to thank the editors of the Report, Soumitra Dutta
at INSEAD and Irene Mia at the World Economic
Forum, for their leadership and long-lasting dedication
to the project, together with the other members of the
GITR team: Roberto Crotti, Thierry Geiger, Joanna
Gordon, and Derek O’Halloran. Appreciation also goes
to Alan Marcus, Head of Information Technology and
Telecommunications Industries and Jennifer Blanke,
Head of the Centre for Global Competitiveness and
Performance, as well as her team: Ciara Browne,
Margareta Drzeniek Hanouz, Pearl Samandari, and Satu
Kauhanen. Last but not least, we would like to express
our gratitude to our network of 150 Partner Institutes
around the world and to all the business executives who
participated in our Executive Opinion Survey. Without
their valuable input, the production of this Report,
would not have been possible.

* Out of a 1–7 (best) scale. This indicator is derived from the World Economic
Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey.
Note: For further details and explanation, please refer to the section “How to
Read the Country/Economy Profiles” on page 159.

* Out of a 1–7 (best) scale. This indicator is derived from the World Economic
Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey.
Note: For further details and explanation, please refer to the section “How to
Read the Country/Economy Profiles” on page 159.